Fleur de Lolly: Keep the cornbread simple for Southern dressing

Laura Tolbert More Content Now

Monday

Nov 19, 2018 at 11:56 AMNov 19, 2018 at 11:56 AM

Dressing or stuffing? That’s the question. Various regions of our country have different names for this mainstay of holiday meals. Just as the question arises as to the title, there are dozens of types of dressing with ingredients as varied as oysters with French bread, plain white bread, mushrooms, nuts, fruits and even sausage. As a Southerner, I grew up with cornbread dressing, which is cooked in a baking dish separately from the turkey, goose or duck.The following ingredients will make one 9x13 pan of dressing. If cornbread is the base, it needs to be the perfect cornbread preferably cooked in a cast-iron skillet and definitely with no sugar added to the batter. For a savory dressing, you need a savory cornbread. If possible, make the cornbread the day before you make the dressing. This allows the cornbread to dry out overnight. The drier the crumbs, the more broth they’ll soak up for a flavorful dressing.There are many recipes for cornbread with a wide variety of ingredients. Some contain flour, some have sugar, eggs or oil. But for me, simplicity is best. You’ll need two skillets of this cornbread recipe for the dressing.

CORNBREAD

Makes 1 large skillet• 2 cups self-rising white cornmeal• 2 cups buttermilk• 2 tablespoons bacon drippingsPreheat oven to 375 degrees.In a medium mixing bowl, add cornmeal and then slowly stir in buttermilk until it’s well blended.Put the bacon drippings in a large cast-iron skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until a drop of the batter sizzles.Pour the batter into the skillet and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest in skillet for a few minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.After the cornbread has cooled, crumble it and spread on baking sheets overnight or at least for a few hours.

DRESSING

Cooking the hens for the broth is essential. The depth of flavor you obtain with the chicken broth, the tastier your dressing will be.• 1 small hen• Water to cover• 1 chicken bouillon cube• 1/4 stick butter• 1 yellow onion, chopped• 3 stalks celery, chopped• 1 tablespoon butter• 6 to 7 cups of chicken broth (reserved from cooking the hen)• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper• 1 teaspoon dried sage• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning• 2 eggs, lightly beatenPlace the hen in a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Skim off any residue that rises to the top of the water. Add the bouillon cube and butter and let simmer for an hour or so, until chicken is cooked through.When the chicken is cooked, remove from broth and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bones and discard skin and bones. Strain the broth.While the chicken is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery and sauté until vegetables are translucent.Add onions, celery and chicken to the cornbread crumbles.Slowly add chicken broth a cup at a time, allowing the cornbread time to absorb the liquid. Continue until all the broth is incorporated, stirring well after each cupful is added.Add the seasonings and taste. Add more salt/pepper if needed and additional sage or poultry seasoning if desired. Mix in beaten eggs.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon dressing into a lightly greased baking pan. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until dressing is browned.

— Laura Tolbert, also known as Fleur de Lolly, has been sharing recipes, table decor ideas and advice for fellow foodies and novices on her blog, fleurdelolly.blogspot.com for more than eight years. She won the Duke Mayonnaise 100th Anniversary nationwide recipe contest for her Alabama White BBQ Sauce. You can contact her at facebook.com/fleurde.lolly.5, on Instagram, and fleurdelolly@yahoo.com. She also is a contributing writer for Gadsden Style magazine, a publication of The Gadsden Times.

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